All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

February 13, 2026

8 spots to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics in NYC

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy are underway, with top athletes from around the world competing for gold. While the competition has already begun, sports bars across New York City are hosting watch parties and serving Olympic-themed specials. From screenings at AMC movie theaters to fondue at a cozy, ski-lodge-themed rooftop in Times Square, here are some of the best spots to catch the 2026 Winter Olympics in NYC.
ways to watch the games ahead

Events & Things To Do

NJ Transit to cut service by 50% for four weeks

The project in 2024. Photo courtesy of Amtrak

February 12, 2026

NJ Transit to cut service by 50% for four weeks

By Aaron Ginsburg

New Jersey Transit riders will have a tough time reaching New York City for the next month. Starting Sunday, February 15, NJ Transit will cut service by 50 percent for four weeks to transfer rail operations from one track on the 115-year-old Portal Bridge to one track on the new $1.5 billion Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River, a major part of the Gateway Program. During construction, trains can only operate on a single track between Newark and Secaucus, resulting in fewer trains serving Penn Station on the North East Corridor and the North Jersey Coast Line. Weekday commuters on Midtown Direct trains along the Gladstone Branch, Morris & Essex, and Montclair-Boonton lines will be diverted to Hoboken, where several options will be available to reach Penn Station.
find out more

Mamdani looks to narrow housing voucher program, reneging on campaign promise

Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to the press during Wednesday’s state budget hearing. Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

February 12, 2026

Mamdani looks to narrow housing voucher program, reneging on campaign promise

By Aaron Ginsburg

Facing a projected $7 billion budget deficit, Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday suggested he no longer intends to support the expansion of CityFHEPS, despite the plan having been passed by the City Council and upheld in court after challenges. His administration is now negotiating with housing advocates to resolve a lawsuit aimed at ensuring the program’s growth. According to the New York Times, city lawyers have asked a judge to adjourn the case while officials work with the Council and the Legal Aid Society, which filed the suit, to find a solution.
Find out more

Policy

Live next to the Bronx Zoo, affordable apartments from $1,031/month

Credit: NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

February 11, 2026

Live next to the Bronx Zoo, affordable apartments from $1,031/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Fifty-three low-income apartments are available at a new eight-story rental just steps away from the Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Garden. Located at 872 Bronx Park South in West Farms, the building offers brand-new, affordable residences in close proximity to world-class institutions and expansive green space. New Yorkers earning 50, 60, and 80 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $1,031/month studios to $2,636/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

MetroCard artwork on view at new Grand Central exhibition

Nina Boesch, courtesy of the New York Transit Museum

February 11, 2026

MetroCard artwork on view at new Grand Central exhibition

By Aaron Ginsburg

While you can no longer swipe them to ride, New York City’s iconic MetroCard will once again be in the spotlight as part of a new exhibition at Grand Central Terminal next month. Opening March 16 at the New York Transit Museum's Grand Central Gallery and Store, "Inspired by MetroCard" shows how artists and designers have transformed the retired transit card into an artistic medium over its three-decade history. Drawing from the museum’s collections and contemporary works, the exhibition features fashion, sculpture, painting, and collage, along with limited-edition collector cards decorated with original artwork.
Learn more

NYC officials re-raise Pride flag at Stonewall

NYC Council Members and Speaker Julie Menin hold a protest over the removal of the LGBTQIA+ flag from the Stonewall National Monument. Photo Credit: Will Alatriste/NYC Council Media Unit on Flickr

February 11, 2026

NYC officials re-raise Pride flag at Stonewall

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City officials followed through on their promise to restore the Pride flag at the Stonewall National Monument in Greenwich Village, re-raising it Thursday after the National Park Service removed it earlier in the week. The flag was first taken down on Monday by the agency, which has overseen the site since it was designated a national monument by former President Barack Obama in 2016. The agency told Gay City News that the removal was required under policy permitting only the U.S. flag and other "congressionally or departmentally authorized flags" to fly on NPS flagpoles, despite the site’s recognition as the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement, which the Pride flag symbolizes.
Find out more

Policy

Hochul moves to reform environmental law to speed up housing construction

Credit: Susan Watts/Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul on Flickr

February 10, 2026

Hochul moves to reform environmental law to speed up housing construction

By Aaron Ginsburg

To accelerate housing development across the state, Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed a series of reforms to New York’s environmental laws, which have delayed new projects for years. During an event with several elected officials on Tuesday, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the governor unveiled “common sense” reforms to the state’s Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), as well as executive actions to accelerate critical projects that, while not posing significant environmental impacts, have been caught in red tape and delays. The reforms also seek to cut bureaucratic hurdles for infrastructure projects, including clean water, green infrastructure, and parks, which are frequently slowed down by lengthy environmental review processes.
Learn more

30-story condo will be the tallest building in Greenwich Village

11 West 13th Street in July 2025, ahead of construction. © Ondel Hylton

February 10, 2026

30-story condo will be the tallest building in Greenwich Village

By Aaron Ginsburg

The tallest building in Greenwich Village is moving forward. Construction financing was secured last week for a new luxury condominium at 11 West 13th Street, a planned 30-story tower with 34 residences that will rise well above the neighborhood's next tallest buildings. Despite backlash from preservationist groups, which filed a zoning challenge with the Department of Buildings, the project is moving ahead, after developers Legion Investment Group and EJS Group secured $190 million in construction financing last week.
Find out more

February 9, 2026

Lunar New Year 2026: How to celebrate the Year of the Horse in NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City’s vibrant Lunar New Year celebrations return to the five boroughs for a two-week run from February 17 through March 3. This year marks the Year of the Horse, the seventh animal in the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle, which is said to embody enthusiasm, speed, and fieriness—ushering in a year of ambition and exploration. Across the city, there are plenty of ways to take part in the festivities, from museum-hosted festivals to parades and firecracker ceremonies.
Find ways to celebrate ahead

Events & Things To Do

New Canarsie library to be one of NYC’s first mass timber public buildings

Renderings courtesy of Studio Joseph

February 9, 2026

New Canarsie library to be one of NYC’s first mass timber public buildings

By Aaron Ginsburg

Canarsie's new library will become one of New York City's first public buildings constructed from mass timber. City officials on Saturday celebrated the groundbreaking of the new Canarsie Library, a two-story, 11,000-square-foot branch on Rockaway Parkway and Avenue J that doubles the size of the previous building to better serve current and future patrons. The project highlights the city’s adoption of mass timber, a sustainable, low-carbon building method that combines natural beauty with climate-related benefits. The new library is scheduled to open next year.
Learn more

Architecture And Design

Judge allows Trump’s Gateway funding freeze to continue until Thursday

By Aaron Ginsburg

After ordering the Trump administration to resume funding for the Gateway project, a federal judge has agreed to temporarily allow the funding freeze to continue while an appeal moves forward. The order, issued Friday by Manhattan Judge Jeannette Vargas, follows a lawsuit filed by NY and NJ seeking emergency relief to stop the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) from withholding funds for the project. However, after the administration filed an appeal Sunday, Vargas agreed to pause the order until February 12 to allow the appeal to proceed, according to New Jersey Monitor.
Find out more

Trump said he’d restore Gateway funding if New York renames Penn Station after him

Photo of Penn Station by Don Ramey Logan via WikiCommons

February 6, 2026

Trump said he’d restore Gateway funding if New York renames Penn Station after him

By Aaron Ginsburg

President Donald Trump told Sen. Chuck Schumer last month that he'd resume funding for the Gateway project, but only if New York's Penn Station and Washington’s Dulles International Airport are renamed after him. Trump said he would release $16 billion in previously allocated federal funds for the critical infrastructure project on that condition, as CNN reported. Funding, which had been secured under the Biden administration, was frozen during October’s government shutdown. Construction on the project will stop at 5 p.m. on Friday if the funding does not resume.
Find out more

Michelangelo Sistine Chapel sketch sells for $27.2M, setting new auction record

Credit: Touhey Photography

February 6, 2026

Michelangelo Sistine Chapel sketch sells for $27.2M, setting new auction record

By Aaron Ginsburg

A recently discovered Michelangelo drawing tied to the Sistine Chapel has sold at auction for more than $27 million, shattering its $1.5 million to $2 million estimate and setting a new auction record for the artist. The drawing—a study for the right foot of the Libyan Sibyl—is the first unrecorded study of the famed ceiling ever to come to auction, and one of only about 10 Michelangelo drawings known to be in private hands. On Thursday, the sketch sold for $27.2 million after a 45-minute bidding war at Christie’s New York, surpassing the artist’s previous auction record of $24.3 million.
Discover more

Architecture And Design

Advocates push for restoration of weekend G train service to Forest Hills

Credit: Adam Moss on Flickr

February 5, 2026

Advocates push for restoration of weekend G train service to Forest Hills

By Aaron Ginsburg

A coalition of public transit advocates is pushing the MTA to extend the G train to Forest Hills, bringing the line to central Queens for the first time since 2010. In a letter sent Thursday, more than 30 advocacy organizations and business leaders, including the New York Mets, urged city and state officials to bring back weekend G train service to Forest Hills–71st Avenue, arguing it would be a transformative improvement for outer-borough riders long underserved by a Manhattan-centric transit system. The group also noted that G train ridership has surged since service to Forest Hills was cut, with an increase of roughly 50,000 riders—one of the fastest growth rates in the subway system.
Find out more

NYC invests nearly $40M to bring clean heat pumps to Rockaways NYCHA complex

Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

February 5, 2026

NYC invests nearly $40M to bring clean heat pumps to Rockaways NYCHA complex

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City is investing nearly $40 million to bring clean heating and cooling to more than 700 homes at a public housing complex in the Rockaways. Announced on Wednesday by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the $38.4 million investment will install clean, reliable heat pumps in 712 apartments at NYCHA’s Beach 41st Houses in Edgemere, among the first NYCHA residences to receive custom-designed heat pumps under the agency’s “Clean Heat for All” initiative. The initiative aims to expand clean heat pump installations to more than 10,000 NYCHA apartments by 2030.
Learn more

Policy

February 4, 2026

NYC opens low-barrier shelter with 100+ units in Lower Manhattan

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City has opened a new safe haven shelter in the South Street Seaport, offering secure temporary housing to more than 100 unhoused New Yorkers, as deaths linked to the city’s ongoing stretch of extreme cold continue to rise. On Tuesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the opening of a long-stalled shelter at 320 Pearl Street, offering 106 beds, on-site services, and no curfews or similar restrictions in an effort to encourage more homeless New Yorkers to come in from the cold, according to Gothamist. The new shelter is part of a series of measures Mamdani has enacted since the city entered this historic cold snap, including the opening of 50 additional shelter units in Upper Manhattan on Monday.
Learn more

Policy

NY and NJ sue Trump administration for withholding Gateway funding

Credit: Gateway Development Commission

February 4, 2026

NY and NJ sue Trump administration for withholding Gateway funding

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York and New Jersey are suing the Trump administration for withholding $15 billion in federal funding previously set aside for the transformative Gateway project. Announced Tuesday, the lawsuit seeks emergency relief to prevent the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) from continuing to withhold critical funding for the project, which is building a new rail tunnel and rehabilitating a dilapidated one. The legal action follows the Gateway Development Commission’s announcement last week that work would stop on February 6 unless federal funding is restored.
Find out more

Schomburg Center releases special list of 100 books by Black authors

Credit: NYPL

February 3, 2026

Schomburg Center releases special list of 100 books by Black authors

By Aaron Ginsburg

Marking the start of Black History Month and its centennial, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has released a curated list of 100 Black-authored books from the past century. The "100 Black Voices: Schomburg Centennial Reading List" is now available at the New York Public Library’s circulating and research branches, with instant e-book and audiobook access to select recommendations and book giveaways at participating locations. The selections were curated by the Schomburg Center’s reference division and feature recommendations from leading figures in Black history, literature, scholarship, and art.
see the list

Events & Things To Do

20-story Murray Hill luxury rental opens lottery for 48 apartments, from $1,842/month

Credit: NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

February 3, 2026

20-story Murray Hill luxury rental opens lottery for 48 apartments, from $1,842/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Applications are now being accepted for 48 mixed-income apartments at a new CetraRuddy-designed luxury rental development in Murray Hill. Rising 20 stories at 255 East 39th Street, The Lotus is a sustainability-focused building whose cutting-edge amenities, modern residences, and building systems are all designed in accordance with “vegan principles,” according to Brause Realty. New Yorkers earning 70 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $1,842/month studios to $4,518/month two bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

February 2, 2026

Vornado and Newmark to expand Penn District with more retail

By Aaron Ginsburg

Vornado Realty Trust’s Penn District in Midtown East will grow further as the firm teams up with another major real estate company to create a new retail corridor along Seventh Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets. On Monday, Vornado announced that Newmark has been named the exclusive leasing agent for the next stage of the Penn District, which will feature a street-level "retail experience" alongside existing anchors Macy’s and Primark, whose 78,000-square-foot flagship is set to open this spring. Newmark will also assist Vornado in developing the Moynihan Retail Corridor, the primary commercial hub of Moynihan Train Hall.
Learn more

Real Estate Trends

Shuttered Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s becomes pulsing light installation

Images courtesy of Downtown Brooklyn Partnership

January 30, 2026

Shuttered Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s becomes pulsing light installation

By Aaron Ginsburg

The shuttered Macy’s in Downtown Brooklyn now hosts an interactive light installation that pulses along to the soundtrack of Fulton Street. Unveiled on Friday, "In Every Transition, A Pattern" illuminates the windows of the former department store with rhythmic patterns and kaleidoscopic displays that respond to the energy of the streetscape. On view through March 16, the installation brings new life to the now-empty Macy's, which closed along with four other NYC locations in January 2025.
see it here

NYC passes landmark street vendor reform, including expanding permit cap

Credit: Hiroko Nishimura on Unsplash

January 30, 2026

NYC passes landmark street vendor reform, including expanding permit cap

By Aaron Ginsburg

Legislation to reform New York City street vending officially passed this week, after the City Council overrode Mayor Eric Adams' vetoes. One of the bills, Intro. 0431, sponsored by Council Member Pierina Ana Sanchez, makes an additional 2,200 supervisory license applications available annually from 2026 through 2031 and creates 10,500 new general vending licenses in 2027. The legislation package was part of 19 bills vetoed by former Mayor Eric Adams on his last day in office, despite Council approval in December. This week, the Council overrode 17 of the 19 vetoes.
Learn more

Policy

Filmmaker John Sayles’ former Hoboken townhouse lists for $2.5M

Images courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

January 29, 2026

Filmmaker John Sayles’ former Hoboken townhouse lists for $2.5M

By Aaron Ginsburg

The longtime Hoboken home of acclaimed indie filmmaker and novelist John Sayles is on the market for $2,500,000. The red-brick rowhouse at 210 13th Street offers roughly 1,800 square feet across three stories, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a partially finished basement, and a cozy outdoor space. Sayles bought the home, which retains many original features, with his wife in 1981.
take the tour

Rare Sistine Chapel drawing on display in NYC ahead of auction

All photos by Touhey Photography, unless noted otherwise

January 29, 2026

Rare Sistine Chapel drawing on display in NYC ahead of auction

By Aaron Ginsburg

New Yorkers can view a recently discovered Michelangelo draft, later reflected in the Sistine Chapel, during a free exhibition ahead of its auction next week. On view through February 5 at Christie’s New York at 20 Rockefeller Plaza, the newly identified drawing—a study for the right foot of the Libyan Sibyl—is the first unrecorded study for the famed ceiling ever to come to auction and one of only about 10 Michelangelo drawings known to be in private hands. The work will be auctioned off as part of Christie’s Old Master Drawings sale, with an estimated price tag of $1.5 million to $2 million.
Learn more

All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

Pitch a Story

Interested in seeing the property in person?

Interested in seeing the property in person?

Distinctive Post Form

Get in Touch

Send us a Tip

Interesting in learning more about purchasing a new home?

Thinking about selling your home?

Sell a Home (Footer)

Before You Move On from this Page.

Your Daily Doseof NYC Life!

Before You Move On
from this Page.

Your Daily Dose
of NYC Life!